GWR Mica X7 Kits Help

[Garethp8873]

Since seeing the "Parkside Dundas PC 85 Insulated Van X7", I have decided I am going to get some of these vans done for my layout. Preferably I am going to aim at having at least four of the vans done. I plan to have done:

 

- First will portray GWR 59828 using the photo in the "bible" History of GWR Goods Wagons 1&2.

 

- Second will be the same as the first but with a different running number

 

- Third will be different running number but in GWR Grey if possible?

 

- As for fourth, I would like to portray 105873 on the SVR (as shown below). However with it being an X8 rather than X7 will this cause problems or is it just simple things that need tweaking? I understand that the only difference between the X7 and X8 was the brakegear being the Morton brake rather than DCIII. Also I noticed that 105873 has only got two boxes on it's roof rather than four.

 

 

Many thanks!

Garethp8873.

 

[wagonman]

Construction of the Lot 921 X8 Micas seemed to change part through – they were built over 3 years 1923-6 – with the early ones being essentially the same as X7 but with Morton brakegear, while the later ones like 105873 were modified slightly: two iceboxes instead of four and three footsteps at the top level instead of two. Easy enough modifications to make if you want an extra bit of variety.

[Garethp8873]

Construction of the Lot 921 X8 Micas seemed to change part through – they were built over 3 years 1923-6 – with the early ones being essentially the same as X7 but with Morton brakegear, while the later ones like 105873 were modified slightly: two iceboxes instead of four and three footsteps at the top level instead of two. Easy enough modifications to make if you want an extra bit of variety.

 

Thank you for your knowledge and help on this subject wagonman!! Having just looked in one of the bibles of GWR Wagons, the GWR X8 wagon series ran from 105851 to 106000. With that in mind and what you told me about the iceboxes - I would have thought with 105873 being the 22nd wagon in the lot to be built, that it would have had four ice boxes rather than two. Swindon must have only a built few of the X8s with four iceboxes before it was decided they would only have two.

 

Having again looked at the GWR Wagon bible at the Swindon photo of 59828 and the above photo, I see what you mean on footsteps. I imagine if I ask P. Dundas nicely they can supply some extra steps for this. Another question; are the X7 and X8 the same length?

 

So let me see if I have this correct wagonman, if I am to do 105873 I need to:

 

- use only two of the four iceboxes supplied with the kit.

- Morton brakes instead of the DCIII

- "three footsteps at the top level instead of two"

 

Many thanks!

Garethp8873.

[Castle]

Hi All,

 

I was shown a magazine article when I did the MICA and TEVAN in the Little Didcot collection and the reason for the change in roof hatches was due to the change between the use of Ice bags pre 1937. During 1937, the use of dry ice as the refrigerant was rolled out through the MICA fleet and the two hatches per end became one central hatch per end. Why this should be so is not exactly clear but there we go... In the article, Stewart Brasier goes on to say that it seems that the vast majority, if not all MICAs eventually had this conversion done.

 

For the record, the article was in the December 1999 issue of BRM and was rather pleasingly entitled 'Meet Your Mica'!

 

I hope this helps!

 

All the best,

 

Castle

[wagonman]

Looking closer, and taking into account numbering, I would think the third step and the change to single rather than double ice boxes was a later modification. Question is when? Dry ice came into use in 1929 with the X10 vans built that year. The most obvious distinguishing feature of these vans is the lack of end ventilators. The only photo of a modified X8 in the book is in post-1936 livery so that doesn't really help. What year are you modelling? If before the early '30s it may be safer to stick with two steps and 4 ice boxes.

 

Both X7 and X8 are 16' long so no problem there. All you have to do is check whether the vac cylinder is on the clutch or non-clutch side of the wagon – I don't know the answer to that one as this is all way past my bedtime modelling period!

[Garethp8873]

Hi wagonman, For me I model the Big Four in general so aslong as it has the GWR, LMS, LNER or SR on it's body then it is fine with me. I ain't strict on protocol either as long as the livery was worn between 1923 and 1948 it's fine with me. In reality I wanted to model 105873 as it is now on the SVR. But as you say if the "third step and the change to single rather than double ice boxes was a later modification", then it might be better to represent 105873 when it was built in 1925.

 

What do you mean by "vac cylinder is on the clutch or non-clutch side of the wagon"?

[wagonman]

 

 

What do you mean by "vac cylinder is on the clutch or non-clutch side of the wagon"?

 

The vac cylinder was positioned to one side of the centre line. The Morton brake needed a reversing dog-clutch arrangement on the lever on one side of the wagon as both sets of brake gear were connected by the cross rod (which was also connected to the vac cylinder). On the clutch side the brake push rods were arranged left over right instead of the usual right over left. As you are in Kidderminster you could probably contrive to have a close look at 105873 and check these details for yourself.